CHICAGO – For the first time in 800 years on December 21st, people across the globe will witness one of the rarest celestial events in history.
That’s when the winter solstice begins and Jupiter and Saturn will combine to form what looks like a bright star, or what has become known as the “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem.” The last time the two planets combined together for the unique cosmic duo was in the Middle Ages.
“You’d have to go all the way back to just before dawn on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky,” astronomer Patrick Hartigan told Forbes.
The event will begin for about a week and start in the southwestern portion of the sky roughly 45 minutes after sunset.
